First some news:
The first draft of MACHINA EX DEUS is done. I’ve sent it out to a few select beta readers before I start on the next draft. There will be a novel length story featuring our quartet battling a foe with desires to take over the minds of Nocturne--literally!--as well as a special back-up tale in which The Black Talon tries to bring the murderer of one of his friends to justice. The book also sets up the fourth book in the series, tentatively titled THE ELEMENTAL FURIES
The thing that has developed about MACHINA EX DEUS is that it turned out to occur earlier in the timeline than I assumed. In fact, it happens between stories in THE SHAPE OF FEARS TO COME (which is still at Airship 27, awaiting release). That fact, plus the publication of a number of Dreamcatcher stories in the past year, dictates that I rework my reading order list I published a while ago. So below is the chronological reading order if you wish to experience The Shadow Legion linearly....
NEW ROADS TO HELL
“Ghosts of Steel” (in THE SHAPE OF FEARS TO COME...portions of this story actually happen concurrently with NEW ROADS TO HELL)
“A Waltz In Scarlet” (in THE SHAPES OF FEARS TO COME and MYSTERY MEN AND WOMEN V. 4)
“Body of Proof: (in A GRIMOIRE OF ELDRITCH INQUESTS)
“A Bullet For The Bride” (in STRANGE AND COZY)
MACHINA EX DEUS
“The Ascension of Indio Blaque" (in THE SHAPES OF FEARS TO COME)
THE ELEMENTAL FURIES (Tentative title for Book 4)
“A Prayer For The Toy God” (in THE SHAPE OF FEARS TO COME)
THE BLOOD STAINED LOA (Tentative title for Book 5)
“A Game of Heads” (in MACHINA EX DEUS)
“The Fiend In The Factory” (in PULPWORKS HALLOWEEN SPECIAL 2016)
“Jolly With A Pistol” (in PULPWORKS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2014)
Obviously, this is not hard and fast. The chronological order may change given new stories and how the next few books develop.
Check in to find out more about the upcoming books....
Showing posts with label Shadow Legion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shadow Legion. Show all posts
Friday, September 30, 2016
Friday, August 21, 2015
SHADOW LEGION CASTING CALL PART TWO
So the timewasting exercise of the blog strikes again as I give you my ideal casting for the Shadow Legion and related people. To wit, it’s time to cast Alan Dennings, The Ferryman.
The thing about The Ferryman is that he’s a man of influence who, due to tragic circumstances, gains an ability that, as we’ll learn as the saga of the Legion continues, is going to drive him a little nuts. Besieged by the spirits of the newly murdered, he is driven to avenge them and silence the howling in his head. So we’d need somebody who’s classy but a little off, as if something will snap at any time.
Now last time I gave you a retro casting as well as a modern one. If I had somehow gone back in time and somehow convinced a studio to make a SL movie, I would have ideally wanted Martin Landau to don the cloak and crimson blindfold for it. There’s an intensity to Landau that I think will translate well to the Ferryman’s visage.
Now onto the here and now....
There was one actor who I had considered who turned out to be too old, so I ended up going with 39 year old Irish actor Cillian Murphy for the role. Ever since I first saw him in the Wes Craven trifle Red Eye, I’ve always been struck by
the way Murphy is good looking but...off. A lot of it is, of course, those far away eyes of his that always make me think he’s plotting something unsavory. More importantly, we’ve seen him play sober and serious as well as massively deranged--in the case of Batman Begins, in the very same movie! I can easily see him slowly transitioning from urbane socialite to tortured avenger over the course of a movie until the point where he’s actively scary.
Incidentally, given that my first two casting choices were in their late 30‘s, I’m thinking I may have to adjust my requirements upwards so everyone can appear to be, well, peers.
Do you agree? Disagree? Have another idea? Let me know.
The thing about The Ferryman is that he’s a man of influence who, due to tragic circumstances, gains an ability that, as we’ll learn as the saga of the Legion continues, is going to drive him a little nuts. Besieged by the spirits of the newly murdered, he is driven to avenge them and silence the howling in his head. So we’d need somebody who’s classy but a little off, as if something will snap at any time.
Now onto the here and now....
There was one actor who I had considered who turned out to be too old, so I ended up going with 39 year old Irish actor Cillian Murphy for the role. Ever since I first saw him in the Wes Craven trifle Red Eye, I’ve always been struck by the way Murphy is good looking but...off. A lot of it is, of course, those far away eyes of his that always make me think he’s plotting something unsavory. More importantly, we’ve seen him play sober and serious as well as massively deranged--in the case of Batman Begins, in the very same movie! I can easily see him slowly transitioning from urbane socialite to tortured avenger over the course of a movie until the point where he’s actively scary.
Incidentally, given that my first two casting choices were in their late 30‘s, I’m thinking I may have to adjust my requirements upwards so everyone can appear to be, well, peers.
Do you agree? Disagree? Have another idea? Let me know.
Friday, August 14, 2015
...AND WE’RE BACK
The big news since this site went dark is that Strange And Cozy, the anthology I co-edited with the creator of Gunfighter Gothic, Mark Bousquet, is out, available in paperback and Kindle format. The book features tales that fuse pulp genres with the cozy mystery, including new stories by NTA contributor I.A. Watson, Joel Jenkins and others as well as ‘A Bullet for The Bride,’ a new Dreamcatcher tale where Maybelle and Colin travel to San Christobal for a wedding...and a murder! This is the first story that explores a city outside of Nocturne, and it should be a doozy. Go get your copy from Amazon here.
It’s also not too late to get a copy of A Grimoire of Eldritch Inquests, the Josh Reynolds edited collection of tales featuring psychic detectives. My contribution, ‘Body Of Proof’ sees Maybelle trying to determine why a man is still walking around after his son murdered him. Get your copy here.The illustrations are being done for Shadow Legion: The Shape Of Fears To Come, the next Legion book. While I can’t show you them just yet, let me just say they’re knockouts!
‘Strange Weathers,’ the new El Cuevo story for this year’s Pulpworks Christmas Annual has been turned in. This story will be significant, as it will both make a connection between the Cuevo tales and the Shadow Legion and give fans of the frontier exorcist the biggest hints as to his true nature. And if you enjoy that when it comes out in the end of the year, wait until you see what I’ve got planned for Halloween next year....
The next book in the Shadow Legion, the second novel, is in the process of being written. All the characters will be back, including a few from Shape in some new circumstances, and a new type of adventure as the Legion moves into a new era of history.
So there’s plenty to explore now, and plenty to look forward to. And I’ll be back with more stuff soon!
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
SHADOW LEGION CASTING CALL PART ONE
Yeah, that’s right....it’s time for that ‘killing time’ segment all authors with a series do. As we wait for Shadow Legion: The Shape Of Fears To Come to be released and I work on not one but two Legion novels, I’m going to do some fantasy booking and tell you who I would cast in a Shadow Legion movie.
And we begin with what has become The Legion’s most popular character--at least judging from the number of stories people have demanded about her--Maybelle ‘Dreamcatcher’ Tremens.
Anyone who’s listened to the podcast I co-host with Derrick Ferguson, Better In The Dark, might not be surprised to learn that I patterned Maybelle after Hammer Films icon Caroline Munro. Hell, the depiction of our favorite sorceress with a white streak through her dark hair is a conscious tip of the hat to that timeless beauty. And if the Shadow Legion had been created in the 70‘s or early 80‘s, she would be my choice.
However, we are talking about casting someone in the here and now. And I have to also keep the cast relatively in the same age as each other. I’ve always pictured the quartet of heroes that are my protagonists as being in their late 20's or early 30's, so I’m going for actors in this general vicinity. And since I’m also a person who claims exact looks don’t matter as long as the essence is there, I’m not bound by casting exact replicas.
Which is why, for Maybelle, I would choose 38 year old English actress--and original member of The Better In The Dark Hottie Hall Of Fame--Rhona Mitra.
Yes, I will admit that Ms. Mitra might be a touch older than my stated age range (even though she’s only five years older than my choice for The Black Talon), but she beats out another Hottie Hall of Famer for a number of reasons. I think she’s always had this air of elegance that I always imagined Maybelle as having (I love how one reviewer for ‘Jolly With A Pistol,’ the Dreamcatcher story for this year’s Pulpwork Christmas Annual, referred to her as ‘nattily dressed.’), but with this undercurrent of fierceness that I imagine someone in a committed relationship with The Black Talon would have. Plus she’s got these long, wavy tresses like I’ve always imagined her as having that would look great with a white streak through it. Sure, her hair is more brown than black, but I can deal with that little variant. I can just imagine her in Dreamcatcher’s signature ‘battlecoat’ over her heroing uniform...and to be fair, given that her uniform is mainly khaki shorts and a white shirt, I know Rhona ‘they based Lara Croft on me’ Mitra can rock that outfit perfectly.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my choice? Who would you cast? Let me know!
And we begin with what has become The Legion’s most popular character--at least judging from the number of stories people have demanded about her--Maybelle ‘Dreamcatcher’ Tremens.
However, we are talking about casting someone in the here and now. And I have to also keep the cast relatively in the same age as each other. I’ve always pictured the quartet of heroes that are my protagonists as being in their late 20's or early 30's, so I’m going for actors in this general vicinity. And since I’m also a person who claims exact looks don’t matter as long as the essence is there, I’m not bound by casting exact replicas.
Which is why, for Maybelle, I would choose 38 year old English actress--and original member of The Better In The Dark Hottie Hall Of Fame--Rhona Mitra.
Yes, I will admit that Ms. Mitra might be a touch older than my stated age range (even though she’s only five years older than my choice for The Black Talon), but she beats out another Hottie Hall of Famer for a number of reasons. I think she’s always had this air of elegance that I always imagined Maybelle as having (I love how one reviewer for ‘Jolly With A Pistol,’ the Dreamcatcher story for this year’s Pulpwork Christmas Annual, referred to her as ‘nattily dressed.’), but with this undercurrent of fierceness that I imagine someone in a committed relationship with The Black Talon would have. Plus she’s got these long, wavy tresses like I’ve always imagined her as having that would look great with a white streak through it. Sure, her hair is more brown than black, but I can deal with that little variant. I can just imagine her in Dreamcatcher’s signature ‘battlecoat’ over her heroing uniform...and to be fair, given that her uniform is mainly khaki shorts and a white shirt, I know Rhona ‘they based Lara Croft on me’ Mitra can rock that outfit perfectly.
What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my choice? Who would you cast? Let me know!
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
The Shadow Legion Time Line!
In the past few weeks, I’ve gotten word that some of my Shadow Legion stories have been accepted to various venues. That means that soon you’ll have new tales of Nocturne to tide you over until Machina Ex Deus hits the stands, hopefully sometime late in 2015 or early in 2016.
Now I know a lot of readers don’t like reading series out of order. So, as a way of both letting you know what stories are going where and giving you a proper reading order, I’ve set up a Shadow Legion Time Line that will be updated from time to time.
So, as of October 2014, here’s the proper reading order of The Shadow Legion Series:
1. New Roads To Hell
2. “Ghost of Steel” (Shadow Legion: The Shape Of Fears To Come; portions of the story happen concurrent to New Roads To Hell; publication date TBA, Airship 27 Press)
3. “A Bullet For The Bride” (Strange and Cozy, coming late 2014, Atomic Anxiety Press)
4. “Body of Proof” (A Grimoire of Eldritch Inquests, publication date TBA, Embry Press)
5. “A Waltz In Scarlet” (Mystery Men and Women V. 4/Shadow Legion: The Shape Of Fears To Come; publication date TBA, Airship 27 Press)
6. “A Prayer For The Toy God” (Shadow Legion: The Shape Of Fears To Come)
7. “The Ascension Of Indio Blaque” (Shadow Legion: The Shape Of Fears To Come)
8. “Jolly With A Pistol” (The 2014 Pulpworks Christmas Annual; coming late 2014, Pulpworks Press)
9. Machina Ex Deus (Airship 27; publication date TBA)
Granted, there may be new stories written and published (one I’m working on hints at a history between one of our Legionnaires and a certain Royal Occultist that’ll also be appearing in A Grinoire of Eldritch Inquests), but this is how you should read the series if you're doing so in order.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
MACHINA EX DEUS....It’s Begun! And Here Are Some Things You’d Like To Know!
I know it’s been a long time since the Agency has been updated, and there’s lots to talk about--the acceptance of ‘Jolly With A Pistol,’ the finding of an artist on The Shape of Fears To Come--but the biggest news for all Shadow Legion fans is that I’ve begun writing the second full novel featuring the dark defenders of Nocturne, Machina Ex Deus. Now I’m literally taking the very first steps in transcribing the next adventure of the united heroes of The City That Lives By Night, and the stuff that’ll reach the page a year or so down the line may be different from what’s in the outline I’m working from now...but here are some teases for what you can look forward to.
It’s set in the 60‘s, which means this will be a Silver Age tale much as New Roads To Hell was a Golden Age tale!
There will be two new heroes making the scene!
Legacies will be passed on, one more than once!
Someone is going to change sides!
Someone is going to fall!
The villains of this piece aren’t human!
The team will face opposition not only from the new bad guys, not only from older bad guys, but from the organization called....W.E.I.R.D.!
There will be pirates!
There will be monsters versus pirates!
There will be more revelations about the plans of everyone’s favorite Mistress of Murder, Rose Red!
There are elements and threads that will be carried over from The Shape Of Fears To Come, the first ‘Casebook’ collection of short stories--but I hope that you could read this book on its own, or directly after New Roads and not be lost.
(Incidentally, if you haven’t read the first Shadow Legion novel, it’s still available in digital and dead tree version here.)
Now once again, I want to warn you--this novel is still a long ways off, but there will be lots of Shadow Legion stuff coming your way before then....and I’ll tell you more about that in an upcoming entry. So stay tuned!
It’s set in the 60‘s, which means this will be a Silver Age tale much as New Roads To Hell was a Golden Age tale!
There will be two new heroes making the scene!
Legacies will be passed on, one more than once!
Someone is going to change sides!
Someone is going to fall!
The villains of this piece aren’t human!
The team will face opposition not only from the new bad guys, not only from older bad guys, but from the organization called....W.E.I.R.D.!
There will be pirates!
There will be monsters versus pirates!
There will be more revelations about the plans of everyone’s favorite Mistress of Murder, Rose Red!
There are elements and threads that will be carried over from The Shape Of Fears To Come, the first ‘Casebook’ collection of short stories--but I hope that you could read this book on its own, or directly after New Roads and not be lost.
(Incidentally, if you haven’t read the first Shadow Legion novel, it’s still available in digital and dead tree version here.)
Now once again, I want to warn you--this novel is still a long ways off, but there will be lots of Shadow Legion stuff coming your way before then....and I’ll tell you more about that in an upcoming entry. So stay tuned!
Friday, June 27, 2014
ANOTHER PERIODIC UPDATE POST
Good afternoon! As we enter into summer, I continue to be busy, and Dreamcatcher is primary in my mind.
Right now I’m doing the rewrites on ‘A Bullet For The Bride,’ a new Dreamcatcher locked room mystery for Strange And Cozy. This story gives you a lot about Maybelle Tremens’ backstory, as we meet a number of friends from her past! The tale also features her paramour, Colin ‘Black Talon’ Palmersdale, in his first appearance outside a Shadow Legion book.
The other major Dreamcatcher project I’m working on is ‘Jolly With A Pistol,’ a Christmas tale for the Pulpworks Christmas Annual 2014. This is another murder mystery take, as Maybelle is asked to investigate the killing of a toy maker wrapped in tinsel and dubbed ‘Naughty.’ It wasn’t until I was deep into writing it that I realized it was something of a tribute to one of my comic book writing heroes, Steve Gerber. You’ll have to wait until Christmas to find out how!
Now I have been asked to do one more Dreamcatcher story. I’m not sure what it’s going to be about, but it’ll probably the last solo story for Maybelle Tremens for a bit, as I’ll start working sometime afterwards on the second novel, Machina Ex Deus. However, she’s not the only Shadow Legionnaire about to venture out solo; I’ve been talking to an artist friend of mine about doing a Nightbreaker comic book story. More on that as it develops.
As for Shadow Legion: The Shape of Fears To Come, an artist for the twelve illustrations has been found. This morning I sent off costume and character notes for the four main character and Playmate (who serves as a kind of ‘guest star’ in the Dreamcatcher story). This means that shortly after Mystery Men and Women 4, which contains ‘A Waltz In Scarlet,’ the Ferryman story that will serve as a preview of the book, you’ll be able to experience a fistful of solo Shadow Legion action!
(And wait until you see what the next Case Files book will contain. I’ve been talking to some people, and it’s going to be insane!)
There are two non-Legion projects in the hopper. One is still super-secret, but the other is ‘The Domino Lady Goes Mad,’ a 15000 words tale for an upcoming Airship 27 anthology. I had so much fun doing that Domino Lady comic strip with Michelle Scuito for All Star Pulp Comics that I wanted another crack at Ellen Patrick, and this is my chance. In it, the daredevil doll faces off against a peculiar scientist--and herself, as she falls prey to his handiwork.
So don’t worry, pals and gals. There will be plenty of new stuff coming from me in future months. Keep watching this space.
Right now I’m doing the rewrites on ‘A Bullet For The Bride,’ a new Dreamcatcher locked room mystery for Strange And Cozy. This story gives you a lot about Maybelle Tremens’ backstory, as we meet a number of friends from her past! The tale also features her paramour, Colin ‘Black Talon’ Palmersdale, in his first appearance outside a Shadow Legion book.
The other major Dreamcatcher project I’m working on is ‘Jolly With A Pistol,’ a Christmas tale for the Pulpworks Christmas Annual 2014. This is another murder mystery take, as Maybelle is asked to investigate the killing of a toy maker wrapped in tinsel and dubbed ‘Naughty.’ It wasn’t until I was deep into writing it that I realized it was something of a tribute to one of my comic book writing heroes, Steve Gerber. You’ll have to wait until Christmas to find out how!
Now I have been asked to do one more Dreamcatcher story. I’m not sure what it’s going to be about, but it’ll probably the last solo story for Maybelle Tremens for a bit, as I’ll start working sometime afterwards on the second novel, Machina Ex Deus. However, she’s not the only Shadow Legionnaire about to venture out solo; I’ve been talking to an artist friend of mine about doing a Nightbreaker comic book story. More on that as it develops.
As for Shadow Legion: The Shape of Fears To Come, an artist for the twelve illustrations has been found. This morning I sent off costume and character notes for the four main character and Playmate (who serves as a kind of ‘guest star’ in the Dreamcatcher story). This means that shortly after Mystery Men and Women 4, which contains ‘A Waltz In Scarlet,’ the Ferryman story that will serve as a preview of the book, you’ll be able to experience a fistful of solo Shadow Legion action!
(And wait until you see what the next Case Files book will contain. I’ve been talking to some people, and it’s going to be insane!)
There are two non-Legion projects in the hopper. One is still super-secret, but the other is ‘The Domino Lady Goes Mad,’ a 15000 words tale for an upcoming Airship 27 anthology. I had so much fun doing that Domino Lady comic strip with Michelle Scuito for All Star Pulp Comics that I wanted another crack at Ellen Patrick, and this is my chance. In it, the daredevil doll faces off against a peculiar scientist--and herself, as she falls prey to his handiwork.
So don’t worry, pals and gals. There will be plenty of new stuff coming from me in future months. Keep watching this space.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
An Abundance of Dreamcatcher!
So as we’re between the release of New Roads To Hell and the next Shadow Legion book, The Shadow Legion Casebook: The Shape Of Fears To Come, and something unusual has come to light.
Namely, that people want to read more about Maybelle Tremens, the Dreamcatcher.
I honestly did not expect Maybelle to be a breakout star. New Roads was primarily Nightbreaker and Ferryman’s story. I did manage to put in some time to sketch out Black Talon’s background, but Maybelle? Outside of a conversation, not a lot was paid to Dreamcatcher or the Tremens family. Add into the fact that ‘A Prayer For The Toy God,' the Dreamcatcher story for the Casebook took the longest to write (there’s literally four story fragments representing four false starts, including a baseball-themed tale I’m tempted to revisit), and you’d think our magic wielding maven would be the character least likely to generate interest.
But first Joshua Reynolds, the creator of Charles St. Cyprian and Ebe Gallowglass and author of their first full length adventure The Whitechapel Demon, requested that I provided a story for the anthology of occult detectives, A Grimoire Of Eldritch Inquests. This resulted in my coming up with a little mystery tale involving greed, murder and the undead that, for some frustrating reason, is untitled. Once a title becomes apparent, I promise I will reveal it.
At the same time, the great Mark Bousquet and I decided to produce Strange And Cozy. This is an anthology of cozy mysteries (think of Agatha Christie) written in different pulp styles. The original idea was for me to contribute a Don Cuevo story, but it became apparent that a Dreamcatcher story would be a better fit. This resulted in me beginning ‘A Bullet For The Bride,’ where Maybelle and her paramore, Colin ‘Black Talon’ Palmersdale travel to the glamorous city of San Cristobal for a wedding....and end up having to solve a locked room mystery! I’m working on that right now, and it should be available in the fall.
(And if you’re a writer who wants to contribute to our anthology, you can find more information here.)
So those of you who liked New Roads To Hell and can’t wait to read more Shadow Legion should feel secure--there’ll be more Dreamcatcher stories than you can shake a magic wand at soon enough!
Namely, that people want to read more about Maybelle Tremens, the Dreamcatcher.
I honestly did not expect Maybelle to be a breakout star. New Roads was primarily Nightbreaker and Ferryman’s story. I did manage to put in some time to sketch out Black Talon’s background, but Maybelle? Outside of a conversation, not a lot was paid to Dreamcatcher or the Tremens family. Add into the fact that ‘A Prayer For The Toy God,' the Dreamcatcher story for the Casebook took the longest to write (there’s literally four story fragments representing four false starts, including a baseball-themed tale I’m tempted to revisit), and you’d think our magic wielding maven would be the character least likely to generate interest.
But first Joshua Reynolds, the creator of Charles St. Cyprian and Ebe Gallowglass and author of their first full length adventure The Whitechapel Demon, requested that I provided a story for the anthology of occult detectives, A Grimoire Of Eldritch Inquests. This resulted in my coming up with a little mystery tale involving greed, murder and the undead that, for some frustrating reason, is untitled. Once a title becomes apparent, I promise I will reveal it.
At the same time, the great Mark Bousquet and I decided to produce Strange And Cozy. This is an anthology of cozy mysteries (think of Agatha Christie) written in different pulp styles. The original idea was for me to contribute a Don Cuevo story, but it became apparent that a Dreamcatcher story would be a better fit. This resulted in me beginning ‘A Bullet For The Bride,’ where Maybelle and her paramore, Colin ‘Black Talon’ Palmersdale travel to the glamorous city of San Cristobal for a wedding....and end up having to solve a locked room mystery! I’m working on that right now, and it should be available in the fall.
(And if you’re a writer who wants to contribute to our anthology, you can find more information here.)
So those of you who liked New Roads To Hell and can’t wait to read more Shadow Legion should feel secure--there’ll be more Dreamcatcher stories than you can shake a magic wand at soon enough!
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Pssssst....Wanna See Something Cool?
Remember a while ago, when I revealed that California-based artist Chris Kemple was going to be providing the interior illustrations for New Roads To Hell?
Well, yesterday, Captain Ron Fortier lit down from good ol’ Airship 27, and he was bearing this gift--one of the nine illustrations that will add heat to the Shadow Legion’s initial adventure. Here we see his version of Nightbreaker going all Babe Ruth (or maybe I should say Jackie Robinson?) on a couple of thugs with a handy tree branch!
We’re well on track for the release of this novel (and I’m 10,000 words away from finishing up the second book in the series, The Shadow Legion Casebook Volume One), so there will be more news and goodies in the near future. Keep an eye on the Travel Agency, Airship 27, and the Nocturne Facebook Page to get in on everything about The Shadow Legion, Tao Jones, the Pulpworks Weird Western Heroes, and more!
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